Hate the Rain
by Flamelyte
Summary: [Squffie] Sometimes, it's nice to stand and try to forget all your sorrows. Sometimes you wish they'll wash away in the rain. But sometimes, those sorrows are brought closer than ever before.
1. A Ninja's Toys

Don't kill me if this is bad. This is my first Squffie, and I currently type this sentence at midnight. Meaning I'll probably be done with this at two am…Huh. So, yeah.

This is set during Kingdom Hearts. Yuffie's thoughts. Mostly ramblings. I can only write ramblings, because I think that way. And what I think goes to my fingers so it's what I type. So, yeah.

………………………………

I hate the rain.

Okay, so it's wet. It makes things grow, which is good. It's bad when things die, after all. People sorta do need to drink it to survive, since we're sorta made up of mostly water. I don't remember the exact percent. So sue me. I haven't bothered with science since my schooling years and years and years ago when I didn't live here in Traverse Town. And hey, I have yet to find someone who can inform me WHY I'd need to know that. Or why I need to know how to find square roots. Or probability…but whatever. Water is water. It's wet. It makes you wet. You can wash yourself with it. You can drink it. The end.

But hey, maybe the reason some people are so wishy washy and strange and messed up is because they drank too much water and flooded their brains and that made their brain swish around in their head and get all washed up…

…That, Yuffie Kisaragi, was an extremely stupid thought.

Alrighty then. Back to the point. I hate the rain.

It's gloomy. It doesn't help that it's always night here in Traverse Town, but when it rains, it's even harder to see. You can't see the stars anymore. The street lights are sort of faded out. There aren't many sounds either. Usually the first district is filled with people, but when it rains, pretty much everything is silent. This district is usually pretty quiet anyway, as it tends to be filled with Heartless (which people avoid). But usually there's atleast someone around. Now, it's just the quiet patter of rain. With the occassional loud clap of thunder and flash of lighting…

Now that I think about, seeing as I'm made of mostly water and currently am the tallest thing on the roof, doesn't that make me a lightning rod? …Let's not elaborate on that thought, as the thought of getting electrocuted is rather unpleasant.

Even the heartless aren't coming out. Damn them. The nicer the day, the more that show up. The worse, they don't bother. It's probably because they're smart and don't want to be lightning rods like I currently am. But right now I need stress relief, and they aren't here. Dammit, Dammit. Dammit. Though then again, the silence could mean the weak, little ones are creeping up behind me and about to attack…But I doubt it.

….And I just turned to look, just in case. They aren't there. Though I could swear I heard something…

Silence bothers me. It's why I'm usually so loud. People find me annoyingly loud, actually, but I can't help it.

So many people around here are just so…sad. It depresses me. And when I laugh and joke and make myself look like a fool, at least they'll smile sometimes at my antics. There is just that glimpse of happiness in their eyes that is so rare. So….precious. Every person who has had loved ones die in the heartless attacks has lost a large part of that happiness. But I think most people forget that they should be happy they are alive. The ones they loved would be sad to see them sad. At least, I like to think that.

There's always something to be happy about. There's always something to be thankful for. Friends. Family. Food. Your favorite object. Having your memories. Still living. Being able to smile, even though it's hard sometimes.

There aren't enough smiles anymore.

The rain has currently washed away mine. If my loved ones are watching over me now, like guardian angels or something, they're probably sad too. Sorry, guardian angels.

I, the Great Ninja Yuffie, am stupidly standing on the roof of the hotel, staring at the pitch black sky and drowning in the rain. Squall once said I looked like a drowned rat the last time I got caught in a storm. Isn't he sweet? Heh. It truly makes me wonder how that Rinoa girl ever fell in love with him. But then again, he was actually sweet with her. Gave her flowers and stuff…gag me. I call him sweet in the sarcastic sense. Nowadays, he's far too irritable and sarcastic to be sweet to anyone.

But this time, I'm not caught in the rain accidentally, actually. I'm standing out in the rain intentionally. Why? Probably because I'm stupid. Because I'm naïve like everyone says. Everyone says I'm a child. A child cannot understand. Understanding is for those who have seen more I have. But I've seen more than most.

Maybe they just choose to ignore that fact. Squall usually chooses to ignore that fact. Aerith…just sorta pities me or something. But she just really wants to believe I'm innocent and can't remember the horrors the Heartless caused.

Maybe, just this once, I don't care what they think.

I care about Aerith. I care about Squall, or Leon, as he insists on being called. I care about Cloud, wherever he may be. Hopefully we'll see him again. Though it has been a long time, I have faith.

…I cared about Vinnie. I think I startled him when I was little. Most people were afraid of his appearance, but I remember clearly. When I was with Aerith shopping, he'd come to speak with her about something. She introduced me to him, and I'd screamed "Nice to meet ya, vampy!" and tackle hugged him.

I think I was one of the few to ever successfully startle Vincent Valentine. He awkwardly patted my head, and attempted to pry me off him to no avail. I made him promise that he'd be my friend before I let go.

I think his lips sorta quirked, and he'd nodded. I'd grinned, and dashed off to amuse myself while Aerith and Vince talked about whatever the hell they needed to talk about.

I didn't call him Vincent. It was too difficult for me to say when I was really little. Even later on, I still called him by the nicknames Vinnie, Vince, Vin, and Vampy. Vampy was my favorite nickname for him. I was the only one allowed to call him that, too. Anyone else who dared to suggest he was a vampire received the patented Vincent Valentine glare of death. Though depending on who they were, they could also have received Death Penalty being aimed at their heads…I saw him do that to Cloud once. It was really funny because Cloud stuttered a bit then walked off. Vinnie did it partly for my amusement, I think. He probably did it for his own amusement too, though you could never tell what he was thinking.

He's dead now.

Then there was Tifa. Sweet, loving Tifa. Tall, strong, I'm-going-to-kick-your-ass Tifa. She punched you, and you were screwed. I admired her, though I don't remember her that well. I really didn't know her, though she was awesome the few times I did see her. She was good friends with Cloud.

…I think she might've loved him, too. But I can't be sure. I probably never will be.

And I can vouch for the fact that she is one of the best damned fist fighters to have ever existed. I've never known any other gal, or really guy for that matter, that could give such a strong right hook and knock you out instantly. She didn't punch me, of course…but just some random guy that tried to grope her.

She worked in a bar. That's probably why she learned how to hit the pervs that tried to touch her. She had, well, yeah. Let's just say drunk men liked her because of her chest. Random pervs, evne ones that weren't drunk, liked her because of her chest size too.

Tifa Lockheart is also dead. Died the same day as Vinnie.

Who's next on the mental checklist?

Let's go to Cloud.

Cloud. Naïve, loving, strong-willed Cloud. He was one of my teddy bears when I was little. He lived in the same part of Hollow Bastion as I did, and I saw him nearly every day.

I always loved his hair. It's spiky and sticks up at ridiculous angles. I called him porcupine once, and he'd glared at me. That made me laugh. Aerith was there too, and liked the nickname. She called him porcupine for a while, along with everyone else.

Aerith's laughter at my nickname for him made him blush. He loved the girl, no doubt about it. Except he was so ridiculously shy when it came to girls…Except for me, of course. But he was my teddy bear and I was around him too much for him to be shy. Besides, I was little. Duh. He couldn't be attracted to me. He loved me as a little sister.

Anyways…I suppose my tragedy started before the heartless, didn't it?

My mother died two days before my third birthday. I loved her…but I only have vague memories of her face. My father, well, I supposely have her eyes or some trait of hers. He usually couldn't stand to look at me and left me to myself. He kept me fed and clothed and gave me shelter…but I think that was the extent.

So with Cloud nearby, I'd usually latch on to him. I loved to watch him practice fighting. He's what made me want to sort become a ninja…I'm slight of frame, and could never wield a sword. And I pretty much suck with most magic. It wasn't exactly safe to teach someone really little Fira spells and whatnot anyways. So, I found my lovely little weapons.

Shuriken. Not that they were much safer than magic, but…

Of course, I didn't start with sharp ones right away. But eventually I became really good at using them. And moved on to sharp ones.

Bad memory. I sliced Cloud with one in the arm. Aerith punished me and took away my shuriken for a month.

Eheh. But Cloud claimed it was nothing more than a scratch. A few years later I noticed the scar on his arm though when I was old enough to care to look.

Nothing? Brilliant lie. But I suppose it was easy to lie to me because I was so little.

Aerith. She was my big sister and best friend. Always will, always will be. She took care of me most often, taught me what she could, pestered me, kept me in line…I will forever be grateful to her. She's so sweet. I don't think I've ever really seen her lose her temper. It's sad that Cloud has dissapeared. But I know she still hopes for his return, even after nine years…

We saw him still alive when the Hollow Bastion fell to the heartless. So he could still be out there. He's strong.

…But then again, so were Tifa and Vincent. Vincent was probably even stronger than Cloud, but he was struck down by a heartless right in front of me. He was protecting me.

Have I done nothing but ever get in the way, I wonder?

The fact that he died trying to save me haunts me to this day. I wish I could say sorry for getting in the way, even though I couldn't help it because I was little…But still. I miss him. He was my other teddy bear, whether he realized it or not.

I think he might've.

So…Cid carried me away after Vinnie died. Cid. The slightly older, chain-smoking, swearing ace pilot and mechanic. He runs a shop here in Traverse Town. He actually manages to hold back on swearing when talking to customers…A miracle in itself.

I must say, my mental dictionary of curse words is quite impressive thanks to him.

But either way, he carried me onto a Gummi Ship where Aerith and Cloud were waiting. I was crying hysterically, I think. Cid tried to get the Gummi ship to take off, and the Heartless came after the ship.

…And Cloud jumped off to fight them. It's the last time I saw him. Teddy bear number two. Gone. But thankfully, not necessarily dead. Woohoo. And people believe I'm naïve and don't know pain? And people believe I haven't seen what they have? I lost two of the people I cared about the most.

I think loosing Aerith and a certain someone else would've probably killed me. I would've probably cried and drowned myself in tears and grief.

It would have been a shitty way to die.

And now I also come to the last person on my list. The person who gave me the reason to stand out here and drown in the freezing rain.

Squall Leonart.

Leon Leonhart.

Basically, Leon. Leon Leonhart sounds extremely stupid. Squall Leonhart, his given name, fits him much better. Squall. A torrential storm. Leonhart. Heart of a lion. He still has both those qualities, though he will still deny he's the same person as he once was.

Where to begin with him…

Well, let's start with this. Squall…is wishy washy.

If he heard me say that about him, he'd probably chop off my head with his gunblade.

I've known Squall for as long as I've known Cloud and Aerith. I just didn't see him as much as both of them. He was busy in a place called Garden training with that gunnblade of his. Most of his free time was spent with Rinoa.

How I curse her name.

I met her. Once. And I hated her. Maybe hate is too strong a word…But even at 7 years old, I found her extremely stupid.

She spoke to me carefully in slow sentences. She was always hanging off of Squall's arm. She always smiled. She said…stupid things. She had ideas that made no sense. She thought the world could easily be perfect.

I, at 7 years old, flat out asked her "Why the hell are you so happy and clingy and smiley?"

Aerith glared at Cid, knowing I'd learned the word 'hell' from him. Then she gave me 'the look' saying that I shouldn't have said that.

Rinoa just sort of stared at me.

But Squall…

He had LAUGHED.

Ohhhh, time for a flashback moment!

"_Yuffie! Squall and Rinoa are here!" Aerith called._

_I came bounding down the steps, shuriken in hand, and my black ponytail a little loose because I'd been practicing my ninja skills._

_Aerith giggled at my appearance, and then turned and heading for the Great Room. I skipped along after her into the room where Squall, Rinoa, Cloud, and Cid were already waiting._

"_Hiya Squallie!" I shrieked before latching onto his leg. He rolled his eyes at me and I merely grinned. Vincent and Cloud were my teddy bears. But Squall was my lion. _

"_Hello Yuffie."_

_Then I heard a new voice. "Yuffie? That's your name?"_

_My head turned and I blinked at the girl standing next to Squall that I had failed to notice when I'd come into the room._

_She bent over a little, hands behind her back, and smiled this smile that was sickeningly sweet. "My name's Rinoa. It's nice to meet you."_

_Most would have found this to be normal, except she spoke sort of slowly. I was little, but not THAT little. Of course, I didn't realize why she spoke the way she did at the time._

_My dark eyes stared at her. "You have trouble speaking? Because you talk slow…"_

_Rinoa had blinked in surprise before giggling._

_Squall gave me a light whack over the head. I just stared up at him, completely confused. "What'd I do now?"_

_He put a hand to his head in irritation at my cluelessness._

"_Um…" I unlatched myself from his leg, and noticed that Rinoa had grabbed Squall's arm. "Why the hell are you so happy and clingy and smiley?"_

"_Cid!" Aerith hissed, knowing I'd learned the word from him, before giving me 'the look.'_

_Cloud snickered._

_He also received 'the look' from Aerith, which shut him up quickly._

_Rinoa stared at me with a slightly stupid look on her face._

_Squall burst out laughing. It wasn't unlike him to laugh, it's just that he wasn't as easily amused as most people. That, and he was actually the only one laughing._

"_Yuffie, why the hell are YOU so happy and clingy and smiley?" He asked me, though he was just teasing me. It wasn't meant to be a hurtful comment. But my answer to that question was a serious one._

_I stared at him, bewildered. And hurt. I was being compared to that Rinoa girl, wasn't I? I didn't like that Rinoa girl. She seemed a little dense. I usually could tell what a person was like._

"_Because…the people I don't cling to and smile for… they go away…" I whispered meekly._

_Squall's eyes widened._

_I gave them all one of my infamous Yuffie grins to keep them from worrying. "Um, I'm going to go practice now…Okay?" And I half skipped, half ran out of the room as fast as my legs could carry me._

Ending the flashback moment for a few seconds here…I never hated him for that.

"I was just jealous." Comes from my lips in realization.

At seven years old, I was jealous of Rinoa Heartilly. Because she could cling to Squall. My lion.

"How stupid is THAT?" I'm jealous of her? But why? What is, or was, so special about him…

Though I suppose the memory following the last one will clear that up.

_After leaving the group of them, I'd run to the forest outside of Hollow Bastion to practice. Making sure I was deep enough in, I began throwing my shurikens at a tree. A few missed, and that angered me more._

_I began to cry harder._

_I practiced for a few hours, sometimes crying, sometimes not. But it was true, wasn't it? Everyone I didn't cling to and smile for died. My mommy died. I must've not held onto her tight enough. That had to be the reason._

_Distracted with my thoughts, I sliced my hand with one of my shuriken. This renewed the tears tenfold, and I collapsed on the ground where I was, curling up in a ball._

_I didn't know how long I remained like that. All I knew is that eventually someone sat behind me and pulled me against them. Arms carefully wrapped around me, trying to make me unfold from my ball._

"…_What's wrong, Yuffie?"_

"_N-nothing…" Was my automatic response._

"_You're that upset that you would lie to me, Yuf?"_

_It was Squall._

"…_Maybe."_

_He ran his fingers through my hair. "Tell me what's wrong." He insisted._

"…_Me." I heard him sigh, and had a feeling he was staring to the sky like he usually did when he was annoyed or exasperated._

"_Yuf, look at me."_

_I hesitated, but I knew he would force me to look at him if I didn't now. So I lifted my head and stared at him with tear filled eyes._

"_There's nothing wrong with you, Yuffie."_

_My response was easy. "But the way people talk to me and stuff…there has to be…"_

_A quiet laugh escaped his lips, and his fingers ran through my hair again. I liked that. "There's stuff wrong with all of us. And Rinoa…she just thought you were younger than you are. That's why she talked like that."_

"_What's wrong with you?" I asked, curious as to how something could be wrong with my lion. My tears were slowly stopping. I also ignored his statement about Rinoa, not wanting to think about her._

"_Things." Was his vague answer. "…I'll tell you someday. Just trust me for now."_

"_Okay." I nodded._

"_Show me your hand."_

_I blinked. "Huh?"_

"_You're bleeding, Yuffie."_

_Remembering suddenly that my hand still hurt, I raised it up sheepishly. "Um…I cut myself?"_

"_Hn…No kidding."_

_I bit my lip. "Please don't tell Aerith…"_

_His lips quirked ever so slightly. "I won't."_

"_...Promise?"_

"_Yeah." _

"_Thank you!" And I threw my arms around my neck and hugged him. _

_He lifted me off the ground, and turned to head back for the castle. He spoke after a few moments. "Now you promise me something, Yuffie."_

_I pulled away from him a bit, and blinked at him. "Yeah, Squallie?"_

"…_If you're ever that upset again, come and find me. Because-"_

"I'll be there." I finish his words out loud to myself. A laugh escaped my lips at the memory. No, I couldn't hate him after that. But right now, the words still made me angry.

Because he wasn't there for me. He was never there for me once the Heartless came and destroyed Hollow Bastion.

He's one of those people who doesn't smile and makes their guardian angels unhappy. Rinoa is probably really sad right now. And though I never really liked her, no one really deserves to be upset or see someone they care about suffer.

…I sense someone or something behind me, and whirl around, shuriken ready. I knew I heard something earlier, and mentally kick myself for being so ignorant. I'm about to throw a shuriken at the shadowy figure on the roof, when it speaks.

Or rather, he speaks.

"…I'll be there?" He repeats what I'd said. "I was jealous…?" His tone is questioning. But by the second quote, I know he's been standing out here for a while.

And suddenly, my anger grows rapidly at his intrusion. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Aerith sent me to come get you."

My eyes flash, my anger growing further. "Well then, LEON, is there some reason you decided to wait until now to come get me? Oh, I know! You thought you might as well watch the 'drowned rat' and see her talk to herself before you made yourself known."

He just stares at me, saying nothing.

"Get away from me." I seethe. "I'll come back in when I'm ready."

"Stop being stupid. You'll freeze."

This snaps my last bit of self control. "And when have you ever cared?" His mouth opens, but I speak again before he can. "NEVER. Not in nine goddamn years, Leonhart." And with that, I turn my back to him and somersault off the roof onto the road below, and run off into the darkness.

I can't stand him.

…But I still can't hate him.

…Because I think…

…I think I'm falling for him.

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Yeah.

Depending if people are interested in this story or not, and depending on how crappy I find it when I reread this later…This may be continued. Or it may not.

It could be one of those oneshots. shrugs

But either way, review. Pleaaaase?


	2. Penalty

Well, a lot of you asked, so who am I to say no? blinks This is chapter two of Hate the Rain, this time for our dearest Squall's point of view. chuckles This is merely my take about what goes on in his head… I dunno… Yeah. Enjoy. REVIEW.

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It's raining. It's dark. It's damp. It's cold.

And all and all, it pretty much sucks.

The Waterway is flooded. I'm stuck in here. There's nothing to do. And my usual source of amusement, though I'll never admit that to her, has disappeared outside. Someday Yuffie will have to enlighten me about how she can be loudmouthed, complain, and yet disappear outside into the shadows of a rainstorm without a second thought.

…Though I imagine she will enlighten me to the fact that she is very cold by complaining when she finally gets back. Strangely enough, that hasn't happened yet. And glancing at the clock, I realize she's been gone for a little over an hour now.

Why am I even paying attention to that fact?

Whatever.

I go to the edge of the bedroom to the balcony door, and lean my forehead against the cool glass. A flash of thunder lights up the sky momentarily, giving a split-second view of the drenched outside world.

…No 'Greatest Ninja Ever' in sight. Not a heartless in sight either. Luckily for Yuffie, they don't like this weather either for some odd reason. Hn…And one would think that they'd enjoy the dark and cold.

Damned Heartless.

I narrow my eyes, continuing to watch, waiting for the sky to light up again. Maybe, for once, the Heartless have come out. Maybe Yuffie, for once, wasn't able to defend herself. Something I also will never admit to her is that she is an impressive fighter, considering she just uses small throwing stars.

I've made a mental note to see if she'll learn to use a blade. Shuriken are relatively useless against many of the larger Heartless like Defenders. Unless, of course, you're looking to piss it off by hitting it in the eye.

I'll bet my life on the fact that she'll say no to the sword idea and glare, pout, or storm off in a rage.

Her temperament hasn't changed since she was six years old.

She still loves to blow up in anger. She still loves to argue. She still pouts, and she still has that grin.

I hate that grin of hers.

Whether she realizes it or not, after nine years, I've learned to see through it. I've learned to see that that is her mask, the way that the emotionless façade I use is my mask. I've learned that she's dying inside.

And it kills me to know I can't do a damned thing for her.

A grim smile comes to my lips. Well now, maybe I'll have to watch her die just like I watched Rinoa died. Maybe it'll be like how Yuf watched me die, her precious lion, when Rinoa was killed.

Yeah, I know she called me her lion. I know she loved me like she loved Cloud and Vincent, her two teddy bears. The concept of Cloud as a teddy bear is understandable. With that hair of his, kind eyes, and occasionally dorky smile, it's easy to imagine her hugging him. He was her older brother.

Vincent Valentine…That concept of he being a teddy bear is disturbing as hell. Those blood red eyes of his and long, dark hair made him look anything but cuddly. The nickname 'Vampy' Yuffie had for him was quite fitting.

But then again, Yuffie must've touched that man's heart like she touched everyone with her smile. Her sweet, innocent little smiles and hugs. She feared pretty much no one. And Vincent would let her hug him sometimes. And Yuffie, even at 6 years old, could tell when she shouldn't hug him. Circumstances with Ansem often brought up talk of his dead love Lucrecia, and Yuffie knew at those times to stay away from him.

But yet, one time, I watched as she hugged him anyway. She'd run off from Cloud and I, and we didn't know where to.

And I watched from the shadows after finally spotting her as she gave Vincent a hug and told him it was alright.

…The man smiled at her. And it wasn't just to make Yuffie feel better. It was the only moment I ever saw a true smile appear on his face.

It nearly killed Yuffie when he died. For two years after we came to Traverse, I couldn't figure out the hell why it upset her so much. She still believed Cloud was alive. I didn't know why she would know for sure why Valentine was dead.

Cid told me. I'd stared at her after she'd locked the door to her room one day after seeing a gun, and Cid had decided I needed to know.

Yuffie had watched Vincent die right in front of her. And Cid also told me that she thought she wasn't worth him dying for.

Damn you, Valentine. You made her cry.

Lightning flashes again.

And damn me more. I've made her cry more than you ever got the chance to.

And at this moment, I realize that I am remarkably…remarkably…

…Stupid.

And it pains me to think I can be categorized as stupid.

Immensely stupid.

Nine Years.

Nine goddamn.

"Nine bloody fucking years." Escaped my lips as a tired sigh.

We've been here in Traverse Town for nine years. Rinoa died 9 years ago. Vincent died nine years ago. Irvine, Auron, and Seifer died nine years ago. Cloud disappeared nine years ago.

I've been living with Aerith and Yuffie and Cid for nine years.

It would've killed me to not have at least had them to hold onto. They kept me sane.

…Yuffie especially. Because her smiles reassured me, and they still reassure me, as long as they are the genuine ones.

The grins she gives to hide her pain, her aggravation…to keep everyone from worrying…

Those are the ones I hate. They've always been there, mainly I think because she blames everything on herself. Her mother dying. Her father not being able to look her in the eye.

Now that I think about it, Yuf and me…we're alike in that way. We both blame ourselves for things we couldn't change….for things we couldn't change and still can't accept that we couldn't change them….

My biggest glimpse at her pain came the day she met Rinoa.

It amused me how much she disliked Rinoa at first glimpse. But Yuffie was like that. She was a good judge of character, and usually knew immediately who she would and would not like. How she judges Rinoa's character, well…I suppose Yuffie judges Rinoa's character accurately for a 6 year old.

"_Hiya Squallie!" Yuffie shrieked before latching onto my leg. I rolled my eyes at her and she merely grinned. Here was the proof that she thought of me, or at least my leg, as some sort of stuffed animal to hug. _

"_Hello Yuffie."_

_Then Rinoa spoke. "Yuffie? That's your name?"_

_She turned and blinked at Rinoa. Yuffie has obviously failed to notice Rinoa when she'd first come into the room. Though that made sense, seeing as she'd immediately latched onto my leg…_

_Rinoa bent over a little, hands behind her back, and smiled at Yuffie. And perhaps it was a bit too kind a smile for Yuffie's taste. "My name's Rinoa. It's nice to meet you."_

_Rinoa spoke a little slowly, and I realized I hadn't mentioned Yuffie's age. Rinoa probably thought Yuffie was 4…She was still really small, so it was easy to mistake her age._

_Yuffie's reply was immediate. "You have trouble speaking? Because you talk slow…"_

_Rinoa had blinked in surprise before giggling._

_I gave Yuffie a light whack on the head, which was easy as she was still clinging to my leg. She'd stared up at me before asking in confusion, "What'd I do now?"_

_I'd put a hand to my head in exasperation at her cluelessness.._

"_Um…" She unlatched herself from my leg finally. Rinoa then linked my arm with hers and gave me a small smile before resting her head on my shoulder. She obviously found Yuffie cute. _

_The moment was ruined when Yuffie asked,"Why the hell are you so happy and clingy and smiley?"_

_Yuffie was obviously as blunt as ever._

"_Cid!" Aerith hissed, obviously blaming Cid and his swearing for Yuffie's use of the word hell._

…_I figured it best not to mention that me and Cloud used hell more often than Cid, as Cid usually used more…colorful language._

_Cloud snickered._

_He also received 'the look' from Aerith, which shut him up quickly. I thanked god Aerith didn't shoot the look at me. _

_When I glanced at Rinoa, she was looking at Yuffie with a…extremely odd and somewhat silly look on her face. Yuffie was staring back blankly, obviously wanting her question answered._

_And I burst out laughing. I couldn't help it. The look on Rinoa's and Yuffie's faces, and the glare Cid and Clouad had received were just too much. "Yuffie, why the hell are YOU so happy and clingy and smiley?" I finally asked her teasingly. And her response to that startled me._

_She was staring at me with one of the most upset looks I had ever seen from her. _

"_Because…the people I don't cling to and smile for… they go away…" She whispered meekly._

_My eyes widened. Well, that was my first major look into the mind of Yuffie._

_She then gave us all one of her infamous Yuffie grins to keep us from worrying. "Um, I'm going to go practice now…Okay?" I finally noticed the shuriken she held in her hand. And then I watched as she half skipped, half ran out of the room as fast as her tiny legs could carry her._

It hurts still…remembering that….

And it occurs to me now that she experienced pain beyond what any of else had ever felt at her age. Sure, we all had lost things…I think Vincent's loss was the greatest of all. But Yuffie had experienced loss from the age of two. She'd watched her mother slowly die, though I doubt she remembers her face very well now.

Yuffie's father was right in saying Yuffie had her mothers eyes, though it still gave him no right to neglect her like he did.

And thus the reason all of us were there. Us being Cloud, Aerith, myself, and Cid. And then of course Yuffie made friends of her own.

Vincent, of course. And then Cloud's friend, Tifa Lockheart.

Her befriending Vincent Valentine is one of the few miracles I've ever seen.

Another miracle being that some of us survived Hollow Bastion.

Another that finally the Keyblade Master came along.

And last and most importantly, that Yuffie can put up with me. And the fact that she has for so long.

…All this reminiscing is making me want to chop up something...Or maybe shoot it with my gunblade…

And something clicks in my head for some reason. It must've been the thinking of Vincent and shooting things.

I pull away from the window and go over to my dresser. Going into the bottom drawer, I move the various articles clothing to the side so I can reach a box in the back. I pull the heavy box out, shut the dresser, and go to sit on the bed.

Placing the box on my lap, I take off the lid.

The faces of my friend's, some both dead and alive, smile up at me. I sift through them. I picture of me and Rinoa. Aerith and Cloud. Tifa in her bar. Seifer and Quistis arguing. Seifer and me fighting. A picture Aerith took of Yuffie hugging Vincent. One of me and Yuffie.

My lips quirk slightly at the adorable expression on Yuffie's face.

There are a lot of memories in this box. They're pictures I'd grabbed when we'd been warned Hollow Bastion might end up under attack, though we didn't know from what. Aerith asked me for whatever pictures I had that were special, just in case, and I'd agreed, giving her these. She'd then run off and put them in this box, which she managed to bring with her here.

But these pictures…these memories…aren't what I'm looking for. There's something else in here.

After all, pictures aren't this heavy. Carefully, I lift up the pictures, then remove the wooden divider that kept the pictures separate from the item below.

Death Penalty.

Vincent's prized firearm.

Cid told me something once about Vincent's death that I don't think Yuffie remembers clearly.

_Cid leaned against the counter lazily, polishing an item carefully in his hands. The bullets for the item, which I noticed was a gun, were laying on the top of the glass counter._

_My eyes widened when I recognized it as Valentine's Death Penalty._

"_Where'd you get that?"_

_Cid looked up at me, startled. "Don't scare the shit outta me like that." He stated gruffly, and continues to polish the weapon. Finally, he speaks again. "Yuffie…she grabbed it offa vampire boy when he died."_

"…" _To this I gave no reply, merely a raise of my eyebrow. Cid knew this as a sign I was listening._

"_Vincent had found her and was carrying her to the ship. You know that." He scowls. "The heartless were especially attracted to her heart, it seems…Fucking things." A shake of his head. "When he fell, she shook him…and for some reason grabbed Death Penalty. She tried shooting at the Heartless, and that's when I found her. I took the gun from her and carried her off."_

"…_What are you planning on doing with it?"_

_He'd held it out to me. "Giving it to you. You give it to Yuffie when the time's right."_

"_And why me?"_

"_Because you're the last one of her favorite guys she's got left alive."_

"I'm the last one…" I muse, lifting the gun out of its box. It still looks brand new, having been kept out of anyones hands for a little over eight years now. 

I run my hands over the barrel of the gun, not really having held it before. I insert the bullets just for some random reason, seeing as there was no point to it and I sure as hell wasn't giving it to Yuffie right now…I aim the gun at the wall, imagining Ansem's head there.

"…Bang." But I sure as hell am not going to pull the trigger as sure of the fact Yuffie will probably never know I have this. Aerith will probably think I've gone suicidal and shot myself.

…I'm glad to know I've made people have such fond opinions of me.

But either way, this gun would bring back memories for Yuffie. Painful ones. And I doubt she's ready for them. At least, not yet.

My eyes narrow as I hear footsteps in the hall and I quickly hide the gun inside my jacket and pretend to be looking through the pictures.

Aerith knocks and comes in.

"Leon, could you-" She sees the pictures. "Oh, sorry… I didn't realize…"

I give a slight shake of my head, telling her it isn't a big deal, and then begin putting the pictures back inside the box. "What did you need?"

"Could you go out and look for Yuffie? It's still raining out there, and she'd been gone for over an hour and a half now."

I've been remeniscing for that long now? Wonderful.

I sigh. "Whatever." Aerith knows that 'Whatever' means 'Yeah, I'll go.' In the language of Leon.

She gives me a small smile, and I can see the worry in her eyes. I stand. "She's fine, Aerith." And I walk past her and out of the room without another word.

I finally find her after twenty long minutes.

Rain. Sucks. I am drenched. And hell, I was drenched after 2 minutes out in this storm.

What the hell is Yuffie thinking?

The thunder drowns out the sound of my footsteps on the roof as I stand behind her, and I freeze as she turns around. I think she's noticed me, but obviously hasn't when she turns around again to stare out into black nothingness.

Rain SUCKS. At the moment I swear Heartless are smarter than Yuffie and I, seeing as they weren't stupid enough to get stuck out here in this storm.

Though then again, Yuffie doesn't seem like she's stuck here. The way she stares upwards on occasion makes it seem like she wants to drown.

…That's an unpleasant thought.

Occasionally, I here her mutter things to herself. She probably doesn't even know she's doing it. So, I stand, and I listen. Two things obvious. One. She's lost her mind. Two. She's upset. Her fist is clenching and unclenching, a habit she has when she's frustrated.

A habit she doesn't know she has.

After listening for a while, I hear two phrases some from her lips that were most clear out of all of her occasional mutters. 'I was jealous' and 'I'll be there.'

…What the hell is she thinking about? There's a flash of thunder, and startled just slightly, my footing slips just a bit on the roof.

I immediately know she's sensed me here this time. A shuriken is raised, and I know she's about to throw. It's now or never to speak. I can't move to dodge it on this roof without falling, and I didn't bring my gunblade.

I speak the first thing that comes to my mind. Her quotes. "…I'll be there?" A small pause. "…I was jealous?"

She'll know now how long I've been standing here watching her.

Her voice has a dangerous edge to it, and she still actually keeps are shuriken raised at me. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Aerith sent me to get you." Is my immediate response. The other reason was that I was also worried, but that is not something I'm going to readily admit. She'd probably think I was a Heartless impersonating me if I said that anyway. And I can't exactly risk that when she has a shuriken in hand, now can I?

"Well then, LEON, is there some reason you decided to wait until now to come get me? Oh, I know! You thought you might as well watch the 'drowned rat' and see her talk to herself before you made yourself known."

Well, this is certainly improving my already somewhat shitty day. She's in one of those rare moods. She used Leon. She raised her voice. She repeated an insult I once threw at her. Her eyes are glinting with a promise of a Yuffie explosion.

I give her no response.

"Get away from me." She seethes. And I can tell she truly means it. "I'll come back in when I'm ready."

"Stop being stupid. You'll freeze." This was the truth. She was pale and shivering. And being stupid. Whatever. She needed to come inside. I did not want a pissed off Aerith coming after both of us.

"And when have you ever cared?" My mouth opens to give a reply, though I'll never quite know what that reply was going to be because she continues. "NEVER. Not in nine goddamn years, Leonhart."

Yuffie Kisaragi has lost it. She used Leonhart. I don't think she's ever called me that.

…She just jumped off the roof.

…She just jumped off THE GODAMNED ROOF.

I run over to the edge in time to see her dash down the road to the right, and I run after her, somehow keeping my footing on the roof. I thank whatever god there may be when I hit an area of building where I roof is flat. How I stayed on the sloped one and managed to keep up with her I'll never know.

She rounds another corner.

"Dammit, Yuffie…" I breathe. You're going to get hurt.

I swear when I lose sight of her, and jump down to the street below, looking for any sign of the obviously upset ninja. "Yuffie!" I cry out, but my voice probably doesn't carry far. The storm is drowning everything out.

I will never forgive myself if she's hurt. I can't lose her…She's my ninja. She my Yuffie. And I'm her lion, whether she remembers or not.

…And I'll protect her, always.

A shadow moves, but it does not move like Yuffie. Eyes glint in the darkness on the head of the shadow.

I don't take note of the color of the eyes, merely dash off after the figure. I lose sight of it, but then my blood freezes over and I can feel the color draining from my face.

A high pitched scream had echoed, loud enough to drown out even the sound of the storm.

The scream had been muffled.

It had been **Yuffie's. **

As I dash off in the direction the scream had come from, something suddenly clicks in my head. A memory that applies to this situation now…Something I had said to her.

"…_If you're ever that upset again, come and find me. Because I'll be there."_

And I haven't always been, Yuffie. But I swear, I'm keeping my promise now.

………………………………………..

Anyone who guesses who or what Squall saw gets a cookie.

Anyone who is willing to overlook any spelling errors also gets a cookie. ;;

And please, review? Review again even if you reviewed the first chapter. Because your reviews gave me the idea to make this from Squall's POV, and encouraged me to actually continue this story.


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